


Confrontation

by BlueNerdBird



Series: The Vellan-Carter Legacy [5]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Heavy Angst, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-08 11:49:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17385941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueNerdBird/pseuds/BlueNerdBird
Summary: One for sorrow,Two for mirthThree for a funeral,Four for birthFive for heavenSix for hellSeven for the devil, his own selfFenaren is in Silverymoon, the very place he'd sworn to never return. Facing his past is never as easy as it seems. It's messy, complicated, and fraught with danger. Ten years wasn't quite enough to heal the scars that he'd received, and there are people in the city are waiting for the chance to rip them back open.





	Confrontation

**Author's Note:**

> Just a heads up, this story does contain descriptions of a previous abusive relationship. This is a character coming to terms with his past and facing it, but it deals with some heavy content. Also, the poem below, while has been adapted into crows, was an Old English poem about magpies which fit rather well with the story.

One for sorrow,

Two for mirth

Three for a funeral,

Four for birth

Five for heaven

Six for hell

Seven for the devil, his own self 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

For the past 22 hours, Fen’s luck had been unusually extraordinary. Walking the streets of Silverymoon, he felt almost proud that his disguise had held up so far. Hair dyed brown and cut short, cultist mask repainted and reformed to not look like a cultist mask, he was able to walk the alleys unseen.

He knew that his party had business here, and that most of them were partying it up in the 31 Sirens, but he had stayed behind. He knew plenty of people that could be at such an establishment, and he feared that not even a disguise could properly hide his identity.

Where his mask resembled a crow, dark feathers added to match his dark cloak, another masked figure joined his side, clad in a frightening mask with a goat skull that covered her face entirely.

“Not going to party with the others?” she asked, and Fen shook his head. “You’ve been quiet ever since we arrived. I know you’re hiding, but who are you hiding from?”

A figure walked past the alleyway and Fen held a finger to his lips, freezing in place until they had passed.

“My parents had eyes all over the city. Contacts in the underbelly, thieves, conmen, you name it. With how I left… I don’t imagine any of them would want to see me here to disgrace the Vellan name further,” he said, voice barely above a whisper as he covered his mouth. It was impossible to tell if someone was watching.

Both figures froze as another figure approached, but both relaxed as they saw the familiar druid approach, blonde hair almost reflective against the light coming through the buildings flanking them.

_ “What are you guys doing out here?”  _ Velora whispered, sensing that they were trying to be discreet.

“Keeping out of sight,” Njol responded, and Fen nodded, keeping his head down.

His senses had been on high alert ever since entering the city, but it seemed like the air had gone still. Fen was guessing it was only a matter of time before someone from his past found him, but he didn’t want it to. He never wanted it to come to pass.

He felt a warm hand grip his shoulder as Njol seemed to sense his anxiety rising, and he felt a little bit of it relax. He wasn’t alone. Cait wasn’t here, but he had people he knew he could rely on.

A flapping of wings made Fenaren jump, but it was only a magpie, perched on the top of the roof. He stared at it, almost wishing that he too had the ability to fly away with only a moment’s thought, but as it studied him an unpleasant feeling of dread spread through his bones.

“How much longer do will they be?” Fen asked Velora, his voice unusually curt.

“I don’t know, Vale, Effie and Basar were all gone, and Barnaby was having a drink with Opaline, waiting on the others,” she answered, and Fenaren just nodded.

Despite he and Caitris’ shenanigans while living under the thumb of their family, they had never made a trip to the 31 Sirens. Most of the time it had just been the nearest tavern to their estate, and they had preferred bars to brothels most of the time.

Fenaren hated waiting. As he flipped a dagger in his hand, he fought the urge to run. He thought that it could go away after time, but it seemed to be getting worse. An itch in his legs told him to run as far away as he could, from the 31 Sirens, from Silverymoon, from Faerun itself.

The sun set in the distance, and Fen stood by as the city became aglow with candlelight and patrons filled the streets, hopping from one bar to the next.

His legs burned with the need to run, his ears twitching as he fidgeted with anything hear him, a dagger, his cloak, the string of his longbow.

Harder and harder his heart began to thump, knowing that he was only a mile from a place he’d never wanted to go near again. Running hands through his hair, his hood got knocked back as he climbed the building behind him, ignoring the questions from Njol and Velora.

They were kind, but he didn’t need kind.

He needed to  _ leave. _

With as much stealth as he could muster, Fenaren ran, pumping his arms as he cleared the tops of buildings. Not sure what direction he was heading, but he felt his eyes begin to burn as memories assaulted his mind.

_ An arm slung around his sister as they traveled the streets late at night, still singing the catchy song at the tavern at the top of their lungs. _

_ Sneaking back before the light of dawn to not be caught passed out drunk at a bar. _

_ The tavern where he met Ari. _

_ Walking home at night next to her instead of Caitris. _

_ Pulling her into a dark alleyway as they exchanged heated kisses. _

_ Tangled limbs under bed sheets as they talked about everything and nothing. _

_ Ari’s white hair spilled out on the pillow next to his. _

_ Nights spent making love to Ari as if it was his last. _

_ Skipping meals because Ari thought he was putting on weight. _

_ Getting beaten into the ground by trainers because Ari wanted him to be stronger. _

_ The hollowness he felt as Ari spoke the final words that shattered his spirit. _

_ Ari. Ari. Ari….. _

He collapsed to his knees as sobs wracked his body, it had been ten years but it felt like only hours had passed. Was that normal? What was normal about his life? The manipulation? The mental abuse?

He’d never hated anyone as much as he hated Ari. She had done nothing but torment him, and he’d been too blind to see what she had been doing to him. He hated that he could still feel her lips, still feel her arms around him at night. Fenaren felt guilt wrack through his body as he felt his face warm, he remembered what it felt like when her legs wrapped around him as she pinned him to the bed.

No.  _ No.  _ Those were Njol’s arms. She was kind to him and cared for him. She was the one he wanted. Not Ari.  _ Never  _ Ari.

But was she? She was another elf with white hair, different from Ari yet similar. Is he just chasing after a shattered dream?

No,  _  no.  _ Ari had abused him. Caitris had explained that to him. Njol had only been kind and gentle with him.

A cry ripped from his throat, he didn’t want gentle, he didn’t  _ deserve  _ gentle. His blindness had cost him and Cait  _ everything. _ How could he live with himself if his sister had gotten married to a crime lord while she loved Samran with all her heart?

He should’ve known what Ari was. How she would break him. It was  _ so  _ obvious to everyone else that he’d been manipulated.

His parents. His godsdamned parents. They’d set him up from the beginning. They’d let him warm her bed for six months while weaving her lies and did  _ nothing  _ to prove a point. They’d just sat by and watched as the trainers had pushed him and Caitris.

His face was wet with tears. He couldn’t stop crying why couldn’t he  _ stop…. _

They’d done nothing as he and Caitris had comforted each other after the abuse from the trainers. They didn’t give a shit about either of them, just a godsforsaken legacy.

His chest hurt. Where was his breath? It felt like it was caving in on itself. Why did everything hurt? Why can’t he  _ breathe…. _

Footsteps sounded behind him. Opening his eyes, he saw three magpies look at him, but he didn’t move.

Fenaren didn’t even have the strength to stand.

“Well well well, what have we got here?” a familiar voice said and Fen covered his ears. For ten years that voice had haunted his nightmares. He never wanted to hear it again.

“I thought there was something odd about the elf running across the roofs at this hour.” Did she recognize him? He didn’t care. The tears stopped. 

“Do you not speak either? What a shame, but I’m sure that someone has a price on your head. Got a name? Or a face?” spoke the voice and Fenaren felt his chest empty as something inside of him steeled. Something made of rage and iron.

“To make this easy, just go ahead and drop your purse, I may let you live,” she responded, but Fen was already reaching for his daggers.

Like a rock of burning hot metal had embedded itself in his heart, Fenaren found the strength to stand, his body burning with the desire to run, to flee.

“My name is Fenaren Vellan,” he said, turning to face her. All the fear, all the rage had melted together as he stood in front of the woman he’d been running from for ten years.

Her eyes widened.

“...Fenny?” she asked, and something inside him shattered. He had laid back and taken hits all his life. From his parents, from Ari, everything had been him trying to please those he thought he loved.

With a feral yell, Fen launched himself forward, daggers poised to strike. She gasped, but parried with her rapier. Back and forth they danced, Ari going on the defensive as Fen lashed out like a wild dog. His voice was loud as he faced her, and he was done caring who knew he was here.

She knew. His parents probably had an inkling. He was fucking done.

His reckless slashing earned him a few cuts to her arms, a swipe across her abdomen, and a rapier cut against the scar on his cheek. It seemed to go on for hours, their skills were evenly matched. Fen knew his longbow would be useless in close range combat, but it’d been almost a month since he’d used his daggers like this.

“So little Fenny learned to bite back, I’m impressed,” she replied, but Fen refused to acknowledge her. Rushing forward, he made a flurry of attacks, but she pulled a stiletto out of her bodice and made a swipe for his arm, catching a vein on his forearm as blood began to cover his arm, dagger falling to the ground.

“I’m gonna kill you!” he screamed, dropping the dagger from his one good arm and pulling out a shortsword, attacking just as recklessly as before. He was at the disadvantage with only a shortsword as she had two weapons trained on him.

He fell back on the defensive as he earned another cut across the shoulder, but the pain only blurred as Fen attacked.

Every night spent with her, every false truth, every honeyed word she’d ever spoken bubbled to the surface as the burning hot coil in his chest expanded. He wanted to kill her, wanted her to feel exactly what’d he’d felt ten years ago, and had been running from ever since.

How could you heal so many wounds at once? He wasn’t healing, not right now, his arm was filled with pins and needles as he felt the blood drip from his arm and down his face. He wanted Ari to hurt, he wanted her to bleed. She was bleeding, but not like him. There wasn’t as much, and she wasn’t angry.

Her face looks _ amused.  _ She never considered his feelings or emotions to be valid, it was only ever a game. A game she wanted to win by breaking him and getting paid.

After several more minute of back and forth, they both seemed to back up, eyeing up the other as they caught their breath.

“Looks like you finally took my advice about learning to fight properly,” she said, and Fen felt rage boil under his skin.

Rushing forward again, he yelled again as his blade clashed against hers, fighting with newfound fury. He should’ve have come here, if he’ stayed with Njol and Velora he’d be safe.

But he didn’t want to be safe. He wanted to be angry he  _ wanted  _ to make her bleed.

Another strike with her stiletto and Fen cried out in pain as it pierced his abdomen. He shivered and froze as she pulled him in close, her lips right up against his ear.

“You were my favorite contract. I hate to kill you, but I can’t have you going around the city willy nilly after what you’ve done,” she spoke, plunging the blade in deeper, and Fen yelled out in pain.

He hadn’t considered that she might actually kill him first. The pain would never go away, maybe it was better. Could dying stop his pain? He wanted it to go away. The dagger had iced the coil in his chest, and he felt a cold fear take its place.

She meant to kill him.

These moments might be his last.

He never got to tell Njol, introduce her to Caitris and Samran…

He would never go drinking with his sister again.

His cry of pain turned into sobs as he saw blood pool around his feet. Looking up, he saw her with the same amused smile she always wore.

She kept the grin as a dagger sunk into the side of her head.

Fen didn’t even have time to react before he collapsed to the ground in a pool of his own blood.

\-----

Waking up from a dreamless sleep, Fenaren laid still for a while. Not opening his eyes, not moving, just letting his mind catch up on what he remembered last.

Several minutes passed.

Wherever he was, it was quiet, and there was a warm blanket over him. Despite that, he felt cold and empty, shivering despite himself. Softer than a blanket, a warm hand reached out and covered his. He froze for a moment, half expecting to wake up to a nightmare.

Opening his eyes, he saw Njol, a worried look on her face as she sat by his side, her hand covering his. He didn’t deserve her, not in a million lifetimes, but as she smiled at him, he knew that she wouldn’t care or not.

“Were you the one to throw the dagger?” he asked, voice weak. She nodded and Fen closed his eyes again.

“My parents are still out there but… I’m not sure what to think. What to do. I thought I’d feel relief but I just…. Feel empty.” Fen said, lacing his fingers with hers, body still shivering under the blanket.

“It is over now Fen,” Njol leaned down and brought his hand up to kiss it. “She’s gone. She won’t hurt you any more.”

Her words setting in, Fen felt silent tears slide down his face.

“Thank you Njol.” He squeezed her hand, “How did…” he trailed off, but then another warm hand took his other one.

“I have plenty of healing magic, don’t worry Fen,” Velora replied, her hands glowing as she held them over Fen’s stomach. He winced as he felt the magic seep through his insides.

“Did you tell the others?” he asked, and Njol nodded.

“They left the 31 Sirens and we’re at another inn for the night.”

They were safe. He was safe. Ari was really and truly gone.

“Velora, could you give us a moment?” Fen asked, and Velora shot Njol a confused worried look, but she just nodded. Quiet as a mouse, Velora stood up and left the room, leaving Fen alone with Njol.

He wasn’t sure what to say, where to even start. He didn’t want to even think about all of that, not yet. His chest still felt hollowed out, even with the warmth of Njol’s presence.

“Njol,” Fen tried to say, but she just leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead.

“You should get some rest, there will be time for talk in the morning,” she replied. As she stood to also leave, Fen reached out with his other hand and pulled at her arm.

“Please stay.”

That was all that needed to be said as she climbed into the bed alongside him, discarding her boots and armor. Lying there beside her, Fen just wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

Running a hand through his hair and draping her arm across him, Njol accepted his embrace. Being elves, neither needed anything resembling sleep, but spent most of the night in each other’s arms, Njol running a hand through his hair as Fen found comfort in her presence as they meditated in silence.

There would be time for talk later, but Fen wasn’t feeling quite up to it yet.

Not when his parents were still out there.

Outside the window, perched on the next building over, Fenaren saw seven magpies chirp at each other as the morning’s light began to filter in.

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, shout out to West for creating Njol. With her permission, I have written Njol into these stories as we throw our OC's at each other and ship them.
> 
> On tumblr over at nerdiestdanibirb


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